Why I Both Loved and Hated the 'Lost' Finale

Pop-Ed: Sitting down for the 'Lost' finale was a bit like watching an odd hybrid of the Super Bowl mixed with a college graduation. Whether it was feasible or not, I was expecting fireworks, drama, action and answers to life's ... errr, 'Lost's' most troubling questions. Going in, it was obvious that not everything was going to be explained -- that would be impossible given how many dangling mysteries the show's producers have unfurled upon us. However, when the finale answered nearly none of those questions and instead went the heartwarming emotional route, I was left much like the souls of the cast (depending on who you ask to interpret) ... in limbo. Was the finale awesome or upsetting? If you ask me, it was both, with a heavier emphasis on the latter.

For six years and 120+ episodes, 'Lost' fans have been put through the wringer of theological metaphors, are-they-good-or-bad character judgments and some pretty freaking ridiculous diversions here and there. As much as the show's creators like to say it's all about the characters, the show shot to success thanks to the geekery it exuded. Fans hoping that the diversions and random Easter egg moments that peppered the show's existence would be all wrapped up like a nice little present in the finale are surely drowning themselves in Dharma beer today. Why, you ask? Well, mostly because, in the long run, nearly nothing about the vast and numerous intricacies of the Island -- the show's most important and omnipresent character -- were answered.

Remember the four-toed statue? What about the temple? That pool that revived Sayid from the dead? And yes, who can forget the polar bear cameo appearance way back in season one? Those all went to the wayside as the show came to an end. We were told that Jacob, Jack and others had to protect the Island, but we never really learned why. Yes, the illuminated cave (which, if you ask me, is a cheap rip of the 'Pulp Fiction' briefcase) represented the good of man ... so why was it held together by a hieroglyphic-strewn stone carrot that Desmond and Jack could easily unplug? This Island is protecting the human race from evil, and the only thing holding it together is a glorified wine cork? What was it about the Island that made it so damn special? What was Richard Alpert's role? That's what I wanted to know.

When it was announced that the finale had been bumped from two hours long to two-and-a-half, I thought to myself: "Excellent, they're tacking on 30 minutes so that they can really get to the bottom of things." 'Lost' generally never upset with major episodes. The pilot of the series is probably the most enthralling opener of any series to ever be broadcast, and nearly every season finale or opener has delivered, no questions asked. This time, not so much. While the extended episode wasn't entirely wasted, it certainly could have been managed more efficiently.

For instance ... how did Vincent the (adorable) dog suddenly come back into the storyline, nuzzling up against an about-to-die Jack? Sure, it was touching and emotional, but why? Where was WAAAAAALT? Early on in the show, Walt and his animal-whisperer mystique made him seem like he'd be an important player -- if not The One -- in the show's grand scheme. Forget that. Also, who the heck is watching Aaron and Jin and Sun's baby? Oh, and that minor plot point about that thing called the Dharma Initiative -- what was that about, ultimately? Farraday cracked the time travel conundrum? Great... let's move on. What did it all mean?

Well, now nothing, because the show is over and those questions weren't important enough to answer.

Now, on to the good. The fight between Jack and Locke was pretty flawless, beginning almost as an homage to old kung fu movies, complete with a long-distance stare down and Jack seemingly flying to deliver the first blow. It seemed as though Jack was a goner after taking a gnarly stab wound, but Kate -- who in the past episode made it clear she was hellbent on killing Locke -- came through with the shot heard 'round the 'Lost' world.

I also loved the remembrance-via-touch illuminations that all of the characters had in the flash-sideways segments. Sawyer and Juliet were downright tear-inducing (despite the corny snack machine metaphor) in their connection, and if you didn't feel that, then you should probably check your pulse. No matter what type of strained chemistry Jack and Kate had, the Sawyer-Juliet romantic arc always rang true, and their reborn chemistry was one of the finer moments of the finale. Seeing them back together along with Charlie and Claire tugged on the lovey-dovey heartstrings of everyone watching, and it was done perfectly: It was blunt, quick and passionate.

Another highlight was the redemption of Ben Linus. Through the course of the series, Michael Emerson nailed the role so well that actors for generations to come looking to play manipulative/creepy/diabolical characters will study his work as Ben Linus. Ben did nothing but connive, murder and backstab during his time with the Oceanic 815 crew, so to have him turn to the good side at the end -- while I and likely everyone else were waiting for him to kill everyone in glorious fashion (which would have been pretty fantastic) -- was a nice, unexpected touch, and it turned one of the greatest villains in television history into a hero.

Now, on to the end ... which is what everyone will remember the finale for. Jack has always felt he was living in the shadow of his dad. In fact, nearly everyone on the show had some sort of mommy or daddy issues, but Jack's rocked him to the core. He was a good dude, but his bad dad's legacy was too much for him to overcome. So, with the passing-of-the-torch scene in the church at the end, when Christian tells Jack that his entire life was essentially a test and that he passed, redemption rang throughout the 'Lost' world. The show, it turns out, was essentially all about Jack and his struggle to find salvation. Everyone else was simply a tool or supporting character in 'Jack' ... sorry, 'Lost.' And, like a poetic bookend, the show ended with Jack's eye closing, six years after it began with his eye opening. We should've known all along.

So, while Jack found his path and everyone was reunited in a pseudo-Heaven, 'Lost' adorers around the world were forced to make a decision: Did I want lots of answers, or did I want the overriding theme of the show (finding the good in man) and its main character (Jack) to succeed? On the balance scale of television expectations, that's a call for every viewer to weigh. If you ask me, though, throwing the answer-seekers a bone in lieu of the hokey all-faiths religious redemption wouldn't have been a bad thing.

'Lost' star Evangeline Lilly is seen here flashing her Hollywood smile at the 'La Princesse de Montpensier' screening at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 16. More Pics of 'Kate' >>>

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Evangeline Lilly attends the 'The Princess of Montpensier' Premiere held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2010 in Cannes, France. 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival - "The Princess Of Montpensier" Premiere Cannes, France May 16, 2010 Photo by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/FilmMagic.com To license this image (60469367), contact FilmMagic.com

I think the reviewer missed the entire point of the last minute of "Lost." Evidently, Jack survived the plane crash only to die shortly afterward in the bamboo forest. Everything that happened for the six years of the show occurred in his imagination in the moments before he died. In other words, everyone on the plane died except Jack and apparently the dog, Vincent. Then Jack died and only the dog remained.

I think BOTH of you missed the point. The show explicitly said everything on the island was real. Notice that Jack didn't die in the suit he was wearing on the plane. For 5 seasons, everything was real. The Sideways world was the afterlife stuff, and it had no Time as we understand time, so people who died before Jack and people like Kate/Sawyer/Claire who got off the island and died after Jack...all ended up in the same timeless place once they were able to straighten out their souls and were prepared to "move on", however you want to interpret moving on.

Nancy, you are wrong. He was not dying from the plane crash (he was wearing a suit on the plane). He was dying from Locke's stab wounds. As was seen in the flashes, everything on the Island really happened.

Wrong! He sees the Ajira plane flying overhead as he lays dying how could that be if the Oceanic plane just crashed? How would he know Vincent's name? To simplify, take out the entire "flash sideways" from this season. Do you still think that Jack was dead the entire time? Don't think of it as a "flash sideways" to an alternate reality. Think of it a "flash forward" to a distant future when all the Losties have died and can finally resolve all their issues in the afterlife.

K.. you couldnt have been more right. the dad said something like everyone lived their lives and everyone dies eventually. Jack just happened to die in the exact same spot.. because locke stabbed him. The ppl who survived everything after the ordeal went on and lived their lives, dying whenever. Everyone eventually started remember in the sideways world.. they were there to find each other after everyone had lived their lives and was ready to move on. The ppl who really impacted jacks life were the ones that moved on with him ( or so it seemed to me). I feel like the conversation that jack and his dad had, no one watched. You need to listen to what he tells jack..

So...it was like that movie Jaob's Ladder? With Tim Robbins and Elizabeth Peña?? Where Jacob sees what his future would be like if he survived, but it goes back and shows that is was really his future flashing before his eyes when he iesin Vietnam???

Uh....no. Jack died from his stab wound from Flocke, not the plane crash. The island was real and all that happened, happened, except the alternate reality, which was "purgatory" for lack of a better word.

I think the point is that the people on the island died and went to Purgatory taking the burdens of life into Hell. This is the reason there were so many unexplained and fantastic experiences. The finale allowed them to escape purgatory through the power of love.

Nancy, what are you talking about? I think you totally missed what the writers intended on telling as a story. Everything that happened was in fact real as evident by what Christian Shepherd was telling Jack in the closing moments of the finale.

In one of the sideways flashes, Ben told Charles Widmore that he was going to kill his daughter, and at one point Ben went to the marina where Desmond and Penny had docked their boat. Maybe Ben really was succesful in killing Penny??

As has been explained before, everyone lived...and died in their own time. Jack's father said some died then and some died later. They all agreed to meet at the church to "move on". Whatever happened to Penny in her life, she met them at the church, too, so she could "move on" with Desmond!